Kingdom Hearts III: The Beginning of the End
by Kyle A. Stridehart
Summary: Forgotten warriors...ancient prophecies...old enemies still kicking...Sora, Riku and Kairi don't seem to catch a break. The worlds are in danger again...from an enemy far more sinister than any before them...Will Sora be able to stop them? Or will the darkness finally rule over all?  Chapter 9 - Posted
1. Prologue

Prologue

_As you may have guessed…this is NOT my story. It's not about me. It's not about Sora either. It's about The Beginning…of the End. Of Life…The Universe…And everything. It may include Sora, but that's all. But I guess I must start at the beginning…the TRUE beginning._

_It all started with them. The Darkness. Not the darkness in general, but it did involve them. The Darkness. An organization made with only one sole purpose…to destroy the world of men…women…weird aliens from Betelgeuse…and, well, everything. Every world and every person on those worlds. To give birth to a world where everybody was happy…at least, that was what I was told. But that wasn't true._

_Second. The Chasers. 3 undefeatable Keyblade Bearers with only one thought on mind…to kill every other Keyblader in our universe, and add their Keyblade and power to their own. And with only Sora and his friends, Mickey, and a handful of other Keybladers, it was near impossible to beat them. And that fact that if you kill one of them, you replace them is a let-down. Immortally skilled in swordplay, almost completely indestructible, and with that last resort 'death and birth' plan, they NEVER died._

_And with the ever present Heartless and Nobodies, Maleficent and Pete, as well as newer enemies like The Chasers and the Darkness, this was truly the Beginning of the End._

_I will be here, telling this story from beginning to end, no stops. Don't like it, love it, or have a positive emotion about it. It is a sad story, and it should be hated._

A/N- This is The Beginning of the End, Prologue. This story here is a massive rewrite of the original, so I hope you like this one better than the other one.

PS- This is a prologue, so it is short. Please refrain from commenting on the shortness of this prologue. Enjoy the story, and thank you for taking the time to read it.


	2. The Beginning

_It all started on that day…that one fateful day that Sora left his home of Destiny Islands for the second time…_

Sora sat in the sand, like he did almost every day. Right now, he was doing homework over the summer, to get it over with. But his mind was on other things. It was a mixture of his sword practice with Riku, the sight of Kairi in a bikini, and his friends, Donald and Goofy. At that moment, something bumped his foot, as he stared out at the horizon. He looked down to see a small bottle with a note inside. He picked up said bottle and looked through the glass. The note had a little seal on it. In the shape of a mouse head.

His eyes widened, realizing what this note could mean. He got up, brushed sand off himself, picked up all his books, and ran toward the small shack that served as Riku's home. He stood at the door and knocked. He tapped his foot impatiently as Riku opened the door.

"What the…?" Riku started, but Sora barged in without another word, closing the door behind him.

"What's this about? You don't usually barge in like this…" He said, kicking a pile of clothes into the corner.

Sora said not a word, only held up the bottle. "So?" Riku asked, taking the bottle.

He looked at it, examining it, and saw the seal. He gasped, nearly dropping the bottle. He then grew serious. "We have to get Kairi-" he started.

"No," Sora said, pacing, "I don't want her to be involved this time."

Riku looked at him with a knowing look. "She will get involved, and you know it."

Sora shook his head as he stopped pacing. He sighed, looking at Riku. "Alright, she'll probably be at Selphie's…" He said, opening the door.

_**XXXXXXXXXXX**_

Kairi walked out with Selphie, both of them giggling at something between them. Kairi looked forward, still giggling, to see Sora and Riku standing at the corner. Sora held up the bottle and gestured for her to get over there.

Kairi looked at Selphie, rolling her eyes. Selphie giggled again, "Bye, Kairi!"

Kairi walked over to the two boys. "Hey Riku." She greeted, ignoring Sora's gesturing.

"Yea, to the usual spot…" Riku said, turning and walking back toward the leaning palm.

Sora fumed, as Kairi still ignored him.

_**XXXXXXXXXXX**_

They all sat on and around the tree. "So, what's this about…" She asked.

Sora got ready to answer. "Riku?" she finished. Sora dropped his head.

Riku remained silent. "Sora, you can tell her…" He said, jumping off the tree and walking back to his shack.

Sora frowned, leaning back against the tree. The two remained silent. Sora threw a pebble at the water, watching it splash. The bottle sat next to him.

"Look…" Sora began, looking up at Kairi, who stared at the sunset, "I'm sorry about the other day…" He said, looking back at the water, throwing another pebble. "It was a prank by Tidus…getting that girl to-"

"I know…" Kairi interrupted.

Sora whirled on her. "Say what?"

"I knew it was a prank…by you or by someone else to get at me? I didn't know…" Kairi continued.

Sora rubbed the back of his head, letting out the breath he had held for his speech. "Thanks…this makes my job a little easier…" He said.

"And it hurt me to think you did that to get back at me for that other time with Riku…" She continued, looking at Sora's back.

"Um…I don't want to talk about that…" Sora said, rubbing the back of his head again.

"You guys done?" Riku asked, wearing different clothes.

_So that's what he did…_ Sora thought, glancing at the bottle. "Um, I found this on the beach. It has the King's seal on it…" Sora said, passing it to Kairi. "None of us have read it, so you get the honors of reading it out loud…"

Kairi looked at the bottle, un-corking it and slipping the note out. She then un-rolled the note and began to read.

'_Dear Sora, Riku and Kairi, and anyone else who happens to be listening.' _She began, only to hear a grunt from behind them.

They all turned to see Tidus himself lying on the ground at the foot of a palm next to them. He groaned, rubbing his head. He got up slowly, obviously in great pain. He looked up to see the trio staring at him. He chuckled. "Um…hello." He said, waving, and then wincing.

Riku narrowed his eyes, Sora glared at him, and Kairi shook her head. Tidus smiled. "It said 'and anyone else who was listening'…"

Sora smacked his forehead, and then gestured for Kairi to keep reading. She opened her mouth to speak, when a girl's voice rang out. They all turned to see Selphie run along the bridge, followed closely by Wakka. "If Tidus gets to listen to it, then so do us!" She yelled with a pout on her face. Wakka shrugged.

Sora sighed, and then gestured for Kairi to continue. Kairi cleared her throat, and then started to read.

_Dear Sora, Riku, Kairi, and anyone else who happens to be listening…_

_I'm not a good letter writer, so I'll just get right to the point. The worlds are in danger…again. The Heartless are acting up, and the Nobodies are stirring without a master to control them. Maleficent is on the move, as well as a new threat, one who goes by the name of the Darkness._

_I wouldn't be writing this letter if I thought that I could handle it. But I can't. And that is what scares me. I am sending a gummi ship to Destiny Islands to pick you up. You will then go to Radiant Gardens, where a strategy meeting will take place. Everything is in a bundle of chaos. No one knows what to do. I hope you guys can smooth it out._

_You'll probably be summoned to Master Yen Sid as well. I will meet you there, if you do._

_Your friend and fellow Keyblade bearer,_

_King Mickey_

_PS- Don't trust anyone in black._

Kairi put down the note and looked at Riku. "What are we going to do?" She asked.

"Isn't it obvious?" Sora answered for him, getting up. "We're going to this strategy meeting. Then we're gonna see Yen Sid, see what the hell is going on!"

Riku and Tidus nodded in approval. Wakka muttered, "If you say so…" Selphie pouted, and Kairi stared at him.

Sora looked at all their faces. "What?" He asked.

_**XXXXXXXXXXX**_

A black cloaked figure snuck into the audience chamber of Disney Castle. It kneeled before the throne, as the dais slid to the side. It then crept down into the Cornerstone Chamber. There stood Mickey Mouse, with his back to him.

"Good evening, my king." Said the cloaked figure, a deep male voice emanating from beneath the hood.

"Must you use that darned voice distorter?" Mickey asked, turning around.

"You never know who may be listening..." Replied the cloaked figure, waving their hand around, as if sensing if anyone else is in the room.

"We are alone, unless someone came in behind you…" stated Mickey, trotting up the figure.

It waved its hand over the small mouse, then over himself, then, finally, over the Cornerstone of Light. It got shocked for its efforts, the distorter malfunction for just a second, revealing a young man's voice.

"Agh…" He grunted, shaking his hand.

He looked over at the small king. "Alright…" He stated, the distorter working again, "The room is clean."

"Okay, K-" Mickey started.

"Don't say my name…" The man whispered.

"Okay, I'll just call you K then." Mickey said.

"Good enough…" K replied.

"Well, you know why I called you here…" Mickey stated, gesturing toward a couple of chairs situated at a table.

K nodded and took a seat. "The Darkness, right?"

"Yes…" Mickey sighed, a sad look on his face.

"I got the information you wanted…" K said, tossing him an envelope, "I also got this…" He put a huge book on the table, sliding it across to Mickey.

Mickey rifled through the envelope, skimming the information K gave him. He then pulled the book to him and opened to the first page. His eyes widened, "This is-!"

K put his finger to his lips, which were concealed. "Don't speak its name. You'll curse us all…"

Mickey nodded, sliding the book to the side. He nodded, tossing him a munny bag. K shook his head. "I don't do this for the pay…"

Mickey smiled, "Same old…K." he chuckled, picking up the munny bag, walking up the stairs out of the chamber.

"You know the way out. I must make my way to the Mysterious Tower." Mickey said, waving.

K nodded, and then slipped out.

_**XXXXXXXXXXX**_

Sora sat on the beach like he always did. This time, however, he sat with his friends. Kairi stood in front of him, feet in the water. Riku sat behind him with Tidus and Wakka, playing some type of card game. Selphie sat next to Tidus, watching intently.

Sora sighed, turned himself around, and elbowed his way into the game.

_**ZZZZZZ-**__A couple of hours later-__**ZZZZZZ**_

A gummi ship blinked into existence as Sora was cleaning up their game. Everyone else had either fallen asleep or gone home. Tidus and Selphie had stayed, asleep in each other's arms. The gummi ship landed, blasting sand everywhere, waking up Tidus, who jumped to his feet. This woke Selphie up, who hit Tidus' leg. Tidus stared at the gummi ship, and then ran, yelling for Wakka to come outside. Selphie walked up beside the trio as they waited for the gummi ship to open up. Selphie leaned on Sora for support, as she did just get up. Kairi stood tall, a big smile on her face.

They waited. And waited. Tidus came back Wakka, and they waited with them. They waited a little more. Then the hold popped open, making everyone jump. The moon came out from behind the clouds, casting a white light onto the ship. It was black with sleek blue wings, and a golden windshield. The words '_The Midnight_' were printed on the side.

"Fitting name…" Selphie muttered, blinking groggily.

Sora nodded as a buff man walked down the walkway. He had blond, spiky hair, blue eyes, and wore all black. "Cloud…" Sora pointed out as the man stepped up to them.

Cloud looked around at the group. He looked back at the ship, then to them. "I don't think you all will fit in there…there are only 3 rooms…" He told them.

Sora shrugged. "Let's see…Tidus with Wakka, Riku and me, and Selphie with Kairi…easily fixed. It'll be two to a room." Sora thought out loud.

Riku shrugged. Tidus slapped Wakka's back, whispering something about munny he owed him. Selphie leaned on Kairi, almost falling asleep again.

Cloud shrugged. "Your call, not mine…" He muttered, walking back onto the ship. "C'mon, the meeting is in 3 days, so we have two to travel fifteen thousand light-years back to Radiant Gardens."

_**ZZZZZZ-**_Meanwhile**-ZZZZZZ**

A group of 9 people sat around a table, looking down at the flat top of it. On it showed the group of 6 boarding _The Midnight_.

"Everything is as planned…" Said a seductive female voice.

"Now what…?" Asked a gruff male voice.

"Now…we wait…" Said a third voice, neither female nor male.

"All we've been doing is waiting! When are we gonna stop waiting and actually do something?" yelled an aggressive female's voice.

"Obviously…when the time is right…" Said a child's voice.

"Thank you, Renee…" said the third voice.

"Silence, girl!" ordered the aggressive voice.

"Don't make me-" started the child's voice, rising in volume.

"Quiet, child…" Said the seductive women.

"…Yes, mother…" Said the girl.

"…Seriously, Matt, when are we gonna do something?" Asked the aggressive one.

Silence surrounded the table. Slowly, someone stood up. Their yellow eyes showed through the darkness surrounding the table. "When are we gonna do something? When Sora leaves Kairi by herself." Said a young man's voice. "Remember the plan…when Sora leaves to go to other worlds, Kairi will be by herself. It will be easy...**To steal the queen from her bed, so to speak…**"

_**ZZZZZZZ**_

A/N- Well…what do you think? Reviews are welcome. Romance to come. Adventure in the next chapter and action will soon follow! I hope you will continue to read it.


	3. The Garden of Despair

**Chapter 2 – The Garden of Despair**

_**Edit – I made a couple of mistakes in this chapter, so I edited them. Enjoy ^^**_

_Current location – 47` by 23` by 58` in the space time continuum. Approximate time of Arrival to – Radiant Gardens – 15 hours, and 44 minutes._

"That's what it said on the navi-screen when I last looked…" Tidus stated, obviously bored.

"And that was…when?" Selphie asked, playing Solitaire with Wakka's deck of cards.

They were all on the gummi-ship _Midnight_, which was slowly making its way through warp to Radiant Gardens. It had been 3 days since they left Destiny Islands, and already they were more bored than a monkey without a banana. And that is pretty boring, in comparison to other boring situations.

"…About 5 minutes…" Tidus answered, smiling as he made a move for Selphie.

Sora walked in, yawning. He muttered a small 'Morning' to the people in the room, then sat down on the couch and promptly fell asleep again. Kairi came in and started making some breakfast. Riku came in, lured by the smell of frying bacon and eggs. Sora sniffed in his sleep, then got up and sleep-walked to the pan of said bacon and eggs, took a nice whiff, and his eyes popped open.

"Food…" Sora said, and his stomach rumbled for emphasis.

Riku chuckled as Kairi piled his plate with eggs and bacon. Sora's mouth watered as he stared at the food cooking. Tidus smelled it and immediately turned over to look. Selphie continued to play her game.

Wakka walked in, obviously having a very good night's sleep. He picked up a plate and piled on some bacon and eggs. He then immediately went to making waffles.

Cloud was next to stride in, obviously feeling hungry himself. He looked like he didn't get much sleep the night before. He sat at the table, a cup of coffee seemingly materializing out of nowhere.

"…We are an hour and a half away from Radiant Gardens…" He informed them, taking a sip.

Selphie smacked Tidus up-side the head, pouting. Sora merely glanced at Cloud before getting pushed away by Kairi with a plate of food in his hand.

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

The ship emerged from warp, entering Radiant Gardens' airspace. Cloud sent in some type of code to verify who they were. He then zoomed in on the planet, landed in a hanger bay.

The group of six got out of the ship, and stared at their surroundings. It was _beautiful_. Almost every building was shiny, as if they were made of crystal. The roads may as well have been made of crystal, because they caused a glare when light hit them. And the castle…there really is nothing to be said.

Sora stood, gaping at the vast changes to Radiant Gardens' scenery. Kairi just smiled, and started walking toward the shining castle. Wakka, Tidus and Selphie followed her. Riku glanced at Sora before following the rest of them. Sora shook his head, snapping himself out of it, and then ran after them. Cloud came out of the gummi-ship, and then just stared off at the spiky haired teen. He just shrugged, taking a warp panel to the castle.

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

They all looked around at their surroundings as it changed from shining utopia of the city to the epic training fields of the Citadel. Teenagers and young adults ran everywhere, some practicing swordplay, others magic. Some were just jogging, while others stood around laughing and enjoying their small break. Sora and Tidus stood in awe as they looked at the trainees.

They heard a deep voice grunt from behind them. "Took your bloody time, did ye?"

They turned around to see a man with flight goggles on his brow, a grimy white t-shirt and a pair of blue cargo pants, laden with tools of every profession.

"Hey, Cid…" greeted Kairi warmly.

They all exchanged greetings, then Cid forced them to follow him into the Citadel itself.

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

The outside may have been beautiful, but the inside…that was another story altogether.

The entrance hall was at least the size of one of the islands on their home world. Giant stone pillars rose from the ground to keep the ceiling from collapsing on top of them. On the ground, many official looking people bustled around, some carrying huge piles of papers, some hefting huge broadswords or lengthy spears. One man, a black older man with a cybernetic arm, came out of a room with a box the size of Sora.

"So the runts finally showed up?" He asked, walking past Cid, who nodded.

The black man walked on, apparently having no time to talk. "Who was-" Sora began, but Cid answered before he asked.

"That was Barrett, who is one of the generals of the military here on RG. We like to refer to them as SeeDs." He stated, continuing forth.

Now they climbed several flights of stairs, and they still had more to climb when Selphie asked for a break.

"Are you kidding?" retorted Cid, gesturing to the stairs. "This is one of the tests that enroll you into the SeeD training program! It tests your stamina, or it's supposed to…"

They continued forth, Selphie having to endure the pain. They climbed all the way to the top with no stops.

They walked up to a door and Cid stopped. "Leon is inside…"

Sora looked up at that comment, looking at the door.

"I'm not allowed in…I'm not military…neither are these three." He said, nodding toward Tidus and them.

Tidus grumbled, Wakka shrugged, and Selphie was close to tears. "We came all the way up here for nothing?!" she asked, dropping to her knees. Tidus went and patted her shoulder.

"Sora, you and the other two are to go in…" Cid began, but before he could finish, Sora started for the door.

"Wait, whoa, hold your horses!" He tried stopping Sora, but he needed to get to this meeting, as it was probably the strategy meeting the king talked about, and he almost missed it.

Sora glared at Cid. "…You have to knock first…" Cid informed him defensively.

Sora sighed, and finally knocked on the door.

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

"Come in!" Came a women's voice.

Sora sighed to calm himself, and opened the door. In the room was a long table, and at the head stood Leon, with Aerith sitting in a seat next to him. At the other head sat three chairs, one with a crown, one with a heart, and one that was completely black. Next to Aerith was none other than Cloud, who sat with his feet up on the table. On his other side sat a man in a brown trench-coat and a cowboy hat. He had a rifle slung on his shoulder.

On Leon's other side sat a man in a red cloak with some kind of wrap around his forehead. The man had blood red eyes, with a bored look in them. Next to the trench-coat guy sat a women with glasses on, a whip slung on her hip, and a SeeD uniform. On the red-eyes other side sat none other than the 'Great Ninja' Yuffie. She smiled at Sora, who grinned back.

The last two chairs were unoccupied. One was ornately designed with a mouse head on the back. The other was beat up, as if the person inside it threw several tantrums a day in that chair, tearing it apart.

Riku nodded at Leon, who nodded back. He then bowed. "We have a Princess of Heart in our presence, guys. Show your respect." He ordered.

Everyone then bowed to the three friends. Sora cleared his throat, then turned a bowed as well, a goofy grin on his face when he looked up at Kairi. Riku did a slight lowering of his head, then sat down. Sora pulled out Kairi's chair, then sat in his own. Kairi whispered her thanks and sat down herself.

Leon rose, smirking. "Now that our guests of honor have arrived, let's begin this strategy meeting!"

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

Leon had then pressed a button which opened three panels on the ceiling to drop down three small stacks of paper in front of the three teens. Sora looked at the front of his to see the title and gasp in shock. '_The Darkness – Intel Record_'

"You have information on them already?" asked Riku, flipping through his papers.

"Yes, albeit, not much…" replied the red-eyed man.

The three teens stared at him, as he blinked. "My name is Vincent Valentine. I'm...an acquaintance of Cloud's" He introduced.

"Irvine Kinneas, at your service." The man in the trench coat added, waving his hand at them.

The woman with glasses looked up from her own report, a small frown on her face. "Quistis." That was all she said before going back to the report.

Leon shook his head. "I'm sorry about her…she's worried about this dilemma we're dealing with."

Sora shrugged. Riku frowned. "If you want us…" He began, gesturing to the three of them, "To move out as fast as possible, we need information, and fast."

Leon nodded. He pushed a button on the table and a hologram appeared of a round table with 10 chairs surrounding it. "We don't know much, like Vincent pointed out."

"There are 10 members, according to our spies…" Yuffie informed them, looking at the table. She seemed serious, which wasn't like her.

Leon touched two places on the hologram, and in doing so, called up intel on those two members. "We only know a couple…these include number II, who is named Matt, and number VII, who is named Edric."

Sora looked at the one named Matt. He had blond hair, cold blue eyes, and a permanent frown on his face. The other file didn't show a picture, just a question mark.

"Sadly, we don't have pictures of Edric, although those who have encountered him note that he is big, uses a broadsword for his weapon, and deals with the element Earth." Leon said, and then gestured to Aerith.

"Matt, on the other hand, deals with Darkness, and uses pure darkness from his heart to engage in combat…" Vincent said instead, standing up.

He pressed on another chair, the one next to Matt's, which highlighted an almost empty profile.

"Another member is a spy for us, or so Mickey has told us…" Leon said, pointing toward the file, "He only refers himself to _K_, but is gladly giving us what information he can."

"_K_ deals in shadows, and uses the shadows of night to attack, although he won't attack you unless he is in the presence of another member." Quistis added, closing all three files.

"So, what are we going to do?" asked Kairi, slowly standing.

Leon looked at the others, who all sighed at the look he gave him. He sighed as well, then pressed another button on the table. "That's not all…"

The round table disappeared and was replaced with an image of The Castle That Never Was. "Maleficent is stirring, gathering allies." Leon said.

"The only ones on her side we know of are Pete and Hades, but other than that, she could have 10 or 20 other guys and gals with her!" stated Irvine, frowning under his hat.

"Like the princess said…" A gravelly voice sounded from the door of the room.

They all turned to the black man with a cybernetic arm. "What are we gonna do about it?"

"Ah, Barrett," Said Quistis sarcastically as Barrett sat down in the beat up chair, "Nice of you to join us."

Sora stood, and all eyes went to him. "I'll tell you what we're gonna do…" He said, getting up on the table. "We're gonna do what we always do. We're gonna stop this 'Darkness' organization and Maleficent, and keep them from getting Kingdom Hearts, cause that is obviously what this is all about!"

Leon looked at Aerith. She smiled, and looked back at Sora. "Good answer."

Leon smirked. "Maleficent is building herself an army of Heartless. To stop it from growing, I want you, Riku and Kairi to go out and stop the worlds from collapsing into darkness. Kill any Heartless you come across, and keep an eye out for members of _The Darkness_, we don't want them to ally with Maleficent."

Sora saluted Leon. "I won't fail ye, cap'n!" He said with a grin.

And with that, they set off.

_**XXXXX **__Meanwhile __**XXXXX**_

Pete wandered the halls of the Castle that Never Was, leading a group of people toward Maleficent's office of sorts. Pete came to a door and knocked twice in quick succession, then three times. A dog-boy, big and rotund like Pete, opened the door. He wore an outfit like Pete, except his had the word 'Trainee' written in bold on the back.

"She doesn't like to be kept waiting, dad…" the boy said, pulling the door open all the way.

"I know, PJ, but it is kinda hard to navigate through them Corridors of Nothingness. They change while you walk through them." Pete retorted, leading the group of people in.

"These guys think they are big and bad enough to join us, Maleficent…" Pete informed the chair behind the desk, in front of which the people stopped.

One guy had a bunch of armor on with horns sticking out the top. The guy next to him wore spandex with a big 'S' on the front. The third had a bunch of piercings and weird eyes that had multiple rings in them. He also wore a black cloak with red clouds on it. The fourth and final guy, or…girl, was made from pure energy; with a blue hew to…it.

"Hmmm…and what makes you think you are worthy enough to join me?" asked Maleficent, turning in her chair.

"How about demonstrations?" asked the pierced man.

"Yes…I do believe demonstrations are needed." Maleficent murmured, her smile cruel as she thought about it.

She gestured to the horned knight first, who bowed.

"I am known as the Horned King. I deal with a black cauldron that is so powerful; it can bring back the dead." He said, gesturing for some heartless to bring it in.

He waved his hand over it and it spouted out three skeletal knights, each armed to the teeth with swords, spears, axes and crossbows.

He chuckled. "It can mutate the Heartless…" He said, picking up one of the Heartless that had brought the cauldron in. He then dropped it into the cauldron, with glowed with a green light. Out stepped a massive Heartless, with green cracks along its skin, and red eyes instead of yellow. The Horned King chuckled even more, "…making them almost invincible."

"That'll give the Keyblade Brat a run for his munny." Said Pete, awed by the new heartless.

Maleficent smiled. "Any heartless made in here will be called Omega Heartless. Okay, Horned King, you have my attention."

The Horned King bowed and stepped back. The spandex guy stepped forward.

"Hey, how you all doin'?" he asked.

"…"

"Whoa, tough crowd. Okay, I'll get to the point." He said, tugging at his collar.

"Okay, what does every little henchman of a huge army gonna need?" He asked, gesturing to PJ.

"Um…something to fight for?" he answered, smiling.

"Nope!" He turned to Pete.

"Power!" Pete answered, going into a body-building stance.

"Mmmm, no…" He turned to Maleficent.

"Weapons…" She said, as if it was obvious.

"Yes! And where do you get weapons?" He asked, egging her on.

"You? Hah!" She retorted, having a little chuckle.

"Yes, me! I, Syndrome, am an inventor of highly destructive weapons, and/or enhancers." He walked over to PJ.

"Could you put these on?" he gave him a pair of metal gauntlets.

PJ smiled and put them on, only for them to fall to the ground, and he couldn't pull his hands back up. Syndrome pressed a button on his wrist-pad and PJ could pick them up like they were nothing.

Syndrome pressed another button and zapped a wall into existence. "Could you please punch the wall?" He asked, gesturing toward it.

PJ ran at the wall and punched it, knocking it down. Syndrome zapped the wall away. He took back his gauntlets and took out a big gun. He gave said gun to Pete. "Could you shoot at one of the buildings over there?" He asked, gesturing toward the window.

Pete shrugged and shot out the window, and 3 buildings were reduced to dust.

"Well?" Syndrome asked, taking back his gun.

"I still don't see why I should hire you…" Maleficent replied, eyeing him oddly.

Syndrome shrugged. "Tough crowd, alright, how about this?"

He walked over to the Omega Heartless, pressed a button on his wrist-pad, and tapped the Heartless. The Heartless grew to twice the size. It looked even buffer than it did before, and the cracks were blue now. "I call this baby the Beta Heartless. Sure, it may be bigger and stronger, and that is all you would see, but it is also faster, more destructive, and smarter than anyone in this room now."

Maleficent smiled evilly. "Okay, you're hired."

"Sweet!" Syndrome said as he shook her hand, then took a step back.

The pierced man stepped forward. He had orange spiky hair, held back by a headband.

"And you are?" asked Pete, looking at him up and down.

"My name…" the man responded, as a second man who looked exactly like the first, except with long hair, grabbed the big dog by his neck, "…is Pain."

"Okay, Pain…" Said Maleficent. "What do you have to offer me?"

Pain smiled. "I am a leader of an organization known as the Akatsuki. We were only based on one world, but now we have spread to multiple worlds. As you can see, I have multiple clones of me. One of us can torture a man just by looking at him. One of us can make clay dolls that fly and explode on their own. And one of us can control over 100 puppets at once."

Maleficent smiled. "I've heard enough, you may join."

Pain bowed and stepped back. The blue energy…thing stepped forward. It started speaking in another language while holding out a hologram projector.

Pete took the projector and played it. It showed a mass blue ship destroying multiple worlds. Maleficent smiled at the power this potential ally held. "You…" Her smile widened as a terrible plan began formulating in her head, "…are in."

A/N – Who can guess who the last ally of Maleficent is? A cookie to whoever guesses it correctly.

-As from this chapter onward, I will reply to my reviews at the end of each chapter. - -

KairiXPrincessXofXLight - Thank you for the compliment, I do hope you will keep reading!

DaniPotterLovesGod - No, I am not Darius Almighty, but I have read his story, which did inspire part of this one. ^^


	4. Two is Better

**Chapter 3 – Two Is Better…**

Sora walked aboard the _Midnight_, eager to get this adventure started. He sat in the pilot's chair, taking hold of the steering wheel. "Aw, yea, I could get used to this…" He said to himself.

Someone placed their hand on the wheel. Sora looked up to see Riku, who jerked his thumb behind him. "You're in my spot."

Sora frowned, crossing his arms. Riku sighed, then picked up a protesting Sora, and tossed him into the co-pilot's chair. He then sat down in the pilot's chair, checking their systems. Kairi walked in, seeing Sora right himself in his chair. She frowned and looked at the pilot's seat. She sat in the only passenger seat in the hub, staring out the windshield. "So it's just us three?" She asked, brushing a stray lock of hair out of her face.

Sora glanced at her. "Yea…just us…" He answered, frowning.

"So…what's our first stop?" Riku asked, opening up the navigation screen.

Sora rolled his eyes. "_The Mysterious Tower_, obviously."

Riku nodded. He turned on the engines, setting their destination to _The Mysterious Tower_. They launched out of the hanger, jumping into hyper-space before they reached space. Their ship disappeared in a flash of light.

The only person to see them leave was a person in a cloak with a tattoo of a roman numeral on their neck. A 'IV'.

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

Mickey walked up to the big door that led outside the Tower. He had a black cloak on. He stepped outside, going to the edge of the cliff. "K? Are you there?"

He waited a couple of minutes before giving up and turning to go back. A man stood in his way, also in a black cloak. Mickey jumped, but sighed before walking up to the man. "For a minute I thought you were one of the other members…"

The man looked around before speaking. His voice was normal, that sounding of a young man. "I wouldn't allow myself to be followed, your Majesty."

"What information do you have now?" Mickey asked, sitting with his feet dangling off the cliff. He gestured for the man to take a seat.

The man shook his head. "No…I have a thing with heights…"

"Anyway, I'm just updating you on a plan the other members are cooking up…" He began, sitting in the grass.

Mickey nodded, turning toward a setting sun, where a clock tower was obviously visible against. "Go on…"

The man nodded. "I didn't get a name, but the other members are planning an abducting attempt on one of the Princesses of Heart…"

Mickey got up rather quickly, surprised. The man continued. "I think it may be the one the Keyblade's Chosen One travels with…"

Mickey brought his hand to face, very upset about this development. "When?"

The man shrugged. "Could be today…could be tomorrow…I think it may be when Sora leaves her alone…"

Mickey nodded, tossing the man a keychain. The man was utterly shocked, looking up at the king, his yellow eyes showing from beneath the hood. Mickey smiled, then said, "A present from a certain someone…who isn't me."

The man looked down at the keychain, and then slipped it in his pocket. "Thanks…I appreciate it."

The man jumped off the cliff, disappearing into a Corridor of Darkness. Mickey looked up as a bright light flashed. A black gummi-ship appeared, appearing to orbit the world. Mickey quickly summoned a Keyblade, cutting into thin air, creating a rip in space. He took off his cloak, revealing his normal clothes. He tossed the cloak into the rip, which closed it. He ran back into the tower.

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

Sora appeared on a cliff before the Tower. He looked as if he landed there, his butt sticking in the air. Riku appeared next to him, standing as if nothing happened. Kairi landed on her back, sliding into Sora. Sora shook his head, then opened his eyes, noticing Kairi underneath him.

Riku smirked. "That position suits you…"

Sora got up, helping Kairi up. Both of the teens had beet red faces. Sora started walking toward Riku, ready to pound him, only to get tackled from behind. "Sora!"

On top of him were a duck in a blue jacket and a blue pointy hat and a dog in a green and white jacket with a knight's helmet on his head. "Donald! Goofy!"

Mickey stepped out of the Tower, helping to extract Donald and Goofy from their tackle-hug. Sora smiled, brushing himself off. Kairi brushed his shoulder off, smiling at the duck and dog. Riku walked up to the King, and they shook hands.

"Now, let's go see Master Yen Sid…" Sora said, walking up to the door.

Mickey was the last one in, looking at the cliff where moments ago, he was having a conversation about the very girl in front of him. "You coming, you Highness?" Riku asked, looking back at him.

Mickey shook his head, then turned around and headed inside. Someone stepped out from behind the bushes, a numeral 'V' on their neck. The person disappeared in a puff of black mist, leaving behind a rather bulky heartless. It had huge fists, muscled arms, and ab-loaded torso. Tiny legs, and an armored head, it charged for the cliff, several Shadows and Soldiers following in its wake.

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

Sora slammed his hands on the table. "WHAT?!"

Mickey frowned. "According to my informant, _The Darkness_ is planning to kidnap Kairi. Or one of the other Princesses of Heart."

Master Yen Sid nodded. "This is a frightful development, but you must remain vigilant. This threat must be neutralized in 6 months time…or I fear that their other plan will become a reality…"

"What's their other plan?" asked Kairi, her voice trembling.

Yen Sid gestured to his Tower, or so they thought. "The complete destruction and reconstruction of our universe, into a universe where the Heartless rule all!"

Sora hung his head. "This is much more dangerous than Maleficent and the Organization…"

The old master nodded. "Yes, Master Sora, it is. But you will not be alone in this endeavor. Radiant Gardens and the SeeD are working with all their might to stop this end from occurring, as well as several traitors in _The Darkness_' midst. But I fear that it will not be enough…" He gestured to Mickey. "If you would, my young apprentice."

Mickey nodded, then placed a rather thick tome on the table. Sora and Kairi looked at it in awe. Riku broke the silence. "What is it?"

Mickey explained, "This is a book of prophecies that used to be in the possession of _The Darkness_ before my informant stole it and gave it to me…It holds all the prophecies of the universe, and some of beyond our universe."

Riku shrugged. "What is your point?"

"After rifling through its pages, I found a rather disturbing prophecy…" Mickey said, turning to the page.

"_In the End of the Beginning, seven Princesses of Heart were placed into the universe. If all seven are gathered, the door to Kingdom Hearts would open. If one, even one, were to be killed, the end of everything would begin. The Beginning of the End of the Universe would occur. All worlds would be flooded in the blood of the dead, and the once dead would rise to plague the universe. In the End of the Universal Apocalypse, the universe would be destroyed, leaving it to be reborn. The cycle would begin again, anew. All life would cease to exist for all eternity._"

Mickey closed the book, looking at the three gaping teens. "This book holds a prophecy that, if acted out, would result in the end of not only the life of a Princess of Heart, but of the lives of everyone living in this universe, and some beyond it!"

Sora shook his head. "No…no, that's not possible."

Riku nodded, "And they decided that they would enact this prophecy, with Kairi as the Princess of Heart to be sacrificed…"

Mickey nodded. "The only ones to survive this would be the Heartless and Nobodies. They would create the new universe, in an image of what they desire."

Sora looked up. "What can we do?"

The mouse king looked up at the old man, who was deep in thought. "There is only one thing we can do…" Yen Sid murmured, opening his eyes, "We have to hunt down every member of _The Darkness_…and eliminate them…"

Sora nodded. "We can start hunting them right now!"

"But where would we look? No one knows where they hide out before they strike!" Riku asked, muttering curses under his breath.

Kairi raised her hand. "Um…I think I may know…" They all looked at her. "…This looks evil enough to be right up Maleficent's alley, so maybe their held up in The World that Never Was?"

Sora looked at Riku, who shook his head. "Maleficent would die if this prophecy came true, albeit she would be one of the last…"

"Anyway…" Mickey interrupted, looking to his old master, "we should probably let Master Yen Sid continue…"

"Thank you, Mickey." The old man said, folding his hands together, "Now, as I was saying, we must eliminate the members of _The Darkness_, but as to the fact that young Riku has pointed out, we have no idea as to where they may be hiding. Therefore, I implore you to go about your normal business of sealing off the worlds hearts against the Heartless, but to keep a weather eye out for members of this organization. As this 'K' person Mickey keeps talking about is a traitor, he will possibly try to make contact with you. Listen to him. He is a vital source of information that you will need to take down key members of _The Darkness._"

Sora nodded, and saluted. Riku nodded, and crossed his arms. Kairi looked worried, but nodded as well.

"Now…your gummi-ship has received an upgrade while you all have been down here. The closest world to this one is the one called Twilight Town. Go there. Lock its Heart away, and then continue on to the next world. You are making your way to a world that has no name or needs one, but you will meet someone who will help you on your quest to stop _The Darkness_." Master Yen Sid said, then nodded.

"I have something for each of you…" Sora and the others looked at each other.

Yen Sid turned to Kairi, waving his hand over her. Her clothes glowed faintly with a yellow aura. "I have given you the ability to activate Drive Forms, like Sora. Unfortunately, I was only able to activate two." Yen Sid explained, "It shall drain some of your mental energy."

He turned to Riku and waved his hand over him. His clothes glowed with a red aura. "I have given you the ability as well. One you will use often, the other, you will loathe." Riku frowned. "But, as Kairi, this will drain you of your mental energy, making you vulnerable."

He turned to Sora, smiling. He waved his hand over Sora. His clothes glowed with a dark aura. "As for you, Young Keyblade Master, I have added another form to your arsenal of Drive Forms. It is called Shadow Form, and will automatically activate if you are knocked into unconsciousness." Sora smiled, then bowed.

"Thank you…Master." Sora murmured, then turned around and walked out the door, with the others following.

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

After the three had left the tower, Mickey had a private conversation with Master Yen Sid.

"Are you sure it's a good idea? Giving him _that_ form?" Mickey asked, watching them leave the world in three flashes.

"It will aid him in the battle that is to come." Yen Sid responded, rubbing his forehead in deep thought. "I sense an old enemy is stirring, one that hasn't been seen since The Keyblade War."

Mickey turned around abruptly, eyes wide. "You don't mean…?"

"Yes, my young apprentice. Indeed I do. Those long forgotten warriors of old, who were sealed away by three Keyblade Wielders, two Masters, including myself, and one Chain-Maker. And yet they still returned, after four and a half centuries of imprisonment." Yen Sid muttered sadly.

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

Sora looked weary as he plopped down into his seat. "The destruction of the universe…"

Riku nodded. "Let's go to Twilight Town."

They all nodded and Riku entered the coordinates. The ship zoomed off into space, with its new upgrades and extra cargo.

_**XXXXX-**__Meanwhile-__**XXXXX**_

Maleficent looked back from the window in her office back to the man seated. "And you say I am invited?"

The man nodded. "As I have said before, _The Darkness _is looking for powerful people to join us…you are one of these people."

Maleficent smiled evilly. "And…what did you say your name was?"

The man stood, bowed, and lowered his hood. "My name is Matt…" answered the blonde.

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

An alarm started blaring on the ship _Selvana_ as Heartless seemed to swarm it. Its pilot, a teen with black hair and yellow eyes, swerved the ship to avoid laser blasts. "Damn!" He yelled as the ship was hit.

He swerved the ship and activated the hyper-drive to the closest world possible…Twilight Town.

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

Sora, Riku and Kairi were beamed down to the surface. They looked up as a bright light flashed to see another gummi-ship start to orbit the planet. They looked at each other, but moved on with a couple of shrugs.

Behind them, a bulky heartless stalked, waiting for the right moment to attack…

_A/N – Yea…I got kinda lazy at the end here, but I still put a little bit of suspense in there for you guys who miss it. XD_

_DaniPotterLovesGod – Um…what hologram? You mean the hologram during the strategy meeting? Or the blue…thing meeting with Maleficent?_

_PS – As per someone's request, I have not centered the writing to make it easier to read. It will be torture for me, but I will manage._


	5. My 7 Swords

**Chapter 4 – My 7 Swords…**

Sora, Riku and Kairi wandered the streets of the twilit city. Riku, who has never been here, looks around everywhere for the keyhole. They reached the clock tower and stopped as Olette ran out of the train station.

"Hey Olette!" Sora yelled, waving, but she ran right past him.

Hayner was blown out of the station, a gash on his forehead and a funny bent arm. Pence ran out of the station, a Struggle bat in his hand. He was followed shortly by Nobodies. Sora, Riku and Kairi all nodded, and dashed in different directions. Riku went after Olette, Kairi went to heal Hayner, and Sora went to help Pence. A person in the shadows smiled as they disappeared, leaving Heartless in their wake.

Sora dashed around Pence as he went by, ramming into a Dusk, sending it flying into a couple of other varying Nobodies. He flipped out of the dash, slicing a Berserker in half on his way to finish the Dusk. In one swipe, he downed 3 more Nobodies as Heartless swarmed him from behind. He pulled out a second Keyblade as his outfit turned red. _Valor…_ Sora started slicing Heartless to his right and Nobodies to his left at break-neck speed.

_**XXXXX - **__Meanwhile__** - XXXXX**_

Riku was having a brawl of his own against the Heartless. Riku pulled out _The Way to Dawn_ as the first Shadow struck. He slashed it, but it sank into its shadow form. Riku stabbed a soldier behind him and launched a Neoshadow into the air with an uppercut. A Shadow rose from the ground to strike, but it never made it to Riku. A lightning bolt struck it, and it faded away into darkness.

Riku looked over at Olette, who had a determined frown on her face as she cast more magic at the Heartless.

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

Kairi was busy healing Hayner when a Heartless struck her in the back of her head, knocking her unconscious. Hayner tried to get up, but failed as a big Heartless picked her up.

Sora turned around to see said big Heartless and finished off the Armored Knight he was fighting, then attacked it. It blocked the Keyblade with its arm as another came from underneath its guard. It jumped back, a gash up its front. Its jagged mouth frowned as it looked from the wound to Sora. Its eyes turned from yellow to red as Sora finally thought up of a name for it.

_A Juggernaut…_

The Juggernaut charged at Sora, unceremoniously dropping Kairi to have free hands. Sora flipped above it, a battle cry rising from his throat, only for the Juggernaut to grab him and fling him into a wall.

Hayner finally mustered up enough strength to stand up, and he limped over to Kairi and picked her up. Nodding to Sora, he limped away from the heated-up battle.

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

Riku cut down the last Neoshadow as Olette cast a cure spell on herself. She breathed a sigh of relief, then ran toward the street toward the clock tower, where Hayner was limping down the road with Kairi in his arms. After a quick explanation and a fast healing session, Riku and Hayner ran back up the street to assist Sora while Olette stayed to protect 'dead to the world' Kairi.

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

The wall crumpled under the impact of a body as the Juggernaut beat Sora to a bloody pulp. Sora coughed up blood and did a quick 'Cura' spell before he faced the clearly boss-level Heartless. The Juggernaut roared as it charged at Sora yet again.

_Clearly, jumping over will not work…_ Sora thought, crouching low to the ground. Right before the Juggernaut struck, Sora slid in a blur behind the Heartless, who then looked around for its prey. Sora chuckled and tapped it on the shoulder. It turned around and Sora smacked it upside the head with the flat of his blade, making the bulky Heartless stumble.

Riku appeared beneath it and plunged right through it, finishing it. The Juggernaut exploded, leaving only a black mist and a pink crystalline heart to float away. Hayner ran up to them, high-fiving Sora. "Awesome!"

"Uh…is it safe?" asked Pence, coming out of an alley.

Sora nodded, then ran down the street.

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

Kairi and Olette were nowhere to be found. Sora and his friends looked around for them, but couldn't find them anywhere. Sora was growing frantic when a group of Neoshadows appeared to fight them.

Sora angrily tore through the Heartless as he searched the entire town. From the shadows stood a teen with a 'III' on his right fore-arm. He stared after Sora as he turned and went deeper into the shadows, simply disappearing.

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

"Dammit!" Riku yelled, plunging his Keyblade into the ground, "Where the hell are they?"

Sora collapsed to his knees, utterly exhausted. _It's hopeless…_ Sora thought, rubbing his hands against his eyes. "Damn…" He whispered in frustration, picking up his Keyblade as a man in a black cloak emerged from around the corner.

"…Hello…" He said. His voice was gruff and aggressive.

Sora frowned at the cloaked man, getting in a battle stance. "You're one of _The Darkness_, aren't you? Where's Kairi?" Sora asked, summoning a different Keyblade as his old one disappeared from his other hand.

The man chuckled as he threw off his cloak. He was a big guy, majorly muscled and had a huge broadsword on his back. He only wore a loose jacket, loose pants and shoes, no shirt was visible as to show off the number 'VII' above his navel. "Name's Edric, but you can call me Ed." He answered, brandishing his weapon of choice.

Sora growled in frustration. "You didn't answer my question!"

The man smiled, rather sadistically. "How about this?" He asked, moving with inhuman speed as he attacked Sora.

Sora barely blocked his first blow, dropping to one knee almost immediately. The man's smile grew bigger as he said, "If you defeat me, and I doubt you will, I will answer your question."

And with that, the battle began.

_**XXXXX - **__Meanwhile__** - XXXXX**_

Kairi and Olette were slung over the shoulder of another Juggernaut Heartless as a teen boy with black hair and yellow eyes emerged from the corner. The heartless stopped, as well as its small army. The teen looked at the heartless strangely, drawing his sword. All the heartless charged, dropping Kairi and Olette. The teen closed his eyes, crouching down low. When he opened his eyes, he was standing next to Kairi's body, picking her up. All the heartless imploded, destroyed in one attack. "Weaklings…" He muttered, picking up Olette and slinging both girls over his shoulders.

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

Sora flew into a wall as Ed rammed into him. Ed laughed maniacally. "And you're supposed to be the Keyblade's Chosen One?" He asked with a laugh.

Riku flanked Ed, only to be flung into a wall himself. Sora pried himself off of his wall to go and attack Ed. He feinted from his original slash, which was easily parried. Ed sighed and jumped back several feet as Riku dropped off his wall.

"This is boring…" He muttered, with a scowl on his face.

He put his broadsword on his back, which changed into a short sword. Ed grinned sadistically, drawing it. He attacked Sora with renewed vigor, trying to take him down. He smacked Sora with the hilt of his sword, making him stumble and hold his head. "You're finished!" Ed yelled, laughing as he plunged the sword down to kill him.

He stopped mid-swing. He had a look of shock on his face, then he disappeared, leaving an injured Sora to 'lick his wounds'.

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

Ed appeared at where he left the Heartless and started walking toward the darker part of Twilight Town. He stopped when he came to a rather misty area. He fingered the mist, rubbing it between his fingers.

"They're dead…" said a voice from behind him.

Ed turned to face the very same teen boy that had killed the Heartless in one swing. "Ah, Kyle…I thought that you may have been Adr-"

"Don't speak his name, you fool!" Kyle said, frowning.

Ed looked around at the mist. "I thought you were supposed to go kill the old man in the Tower…"

Kyle smirked. "I did go to the Tower…"

Ed's eyes narrowed as he looked at Kyle. His eyes widened as he drew his broadsword once again. "You killed the Heartless! You saved the two girls, including the Princess of Heart!"

Kyle clapped his hands. "Good, good…keep going!"

"That means…" Ed whispered, lunging at Kyle.

Kyle easily grabbed the sword with his bare hand. The blade cut into his skin, making his hand bleed. "That I…am a traitor…"

Kyle pushed Ed away as he jumped back a couple feet himself. Ed growled. "Wait until I tell Matt. Boy, will he be ticked off."

Kyle laughed, drawing his short-sword. "What makes you think you _get_ to tell Matt?"

Ed roared, drawing a short-sword out of the darkness as he charged at Kyle. Kyle smirked again and ran his hand along the blade, from hilt to tip. His hand went farther, extending the blade. Ed stopped his charge and hopped back a couple of feet as Kyle brandished his new long-sword. Ed raised his eyebrow, "Didn't know you could do that…"

"There's a lot of things you don't know about me…" Kyle said, lunging at Ed.

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

Six swords sat, stabbed into the ground as if they were disarmed from someone's hand. In the middle sat _The Darkness_' Number 7, Ed, a dagger plunged into his heart. His eyes were wide in an eternal stare of shock. Kyle panted as he ran his gloved hand on each and every blade, adding their designs to his collection. He then walked off, the two missing girls appearing on his shoulders, slung once again.

Kyle looked back at Ed as his body faded into darkness, the dagger falling onto the street. Kyle closed his eyes, then nodded and continued walking.

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

Sora pounded his hand on the ground in frustration. "I couldn't even scratch the guy!"

Hayner nodded, un-winding his shoulder muscles. "And he was only number 7? Think of how powerful these other 'Darkness' weirdoes are!"

_Beyond your imagination…_

They all turned to the voice to see a teen with black hair and yellow eyes, with Kairi and Olette slung on his shoulders. They all ran to him, taking them off his shoulders to check on them. The teen cracked his neck, then started to walk away.

"Wait!" Sora yelled, drawing his Keyblade.

The teen turned around, staring at Sora with a blank expression on his face. Sora's eyes narrowed as he asked, "Who are you?"

The teen smiled, as if he found the question funny. "Isn't it obvious?"

Sora looked at the teen funny as said teen started laughing. The teen stopped laughing long enough to say one word. "Kay…"

He then disappeared into Sora's shadow, still laughing. Sora looked confused as he scratched the back of his head. "Kay…?"

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

Kyle appeared on the ship _Selvana_, a hologram of a women appearing next to him, walking with a clip-board in her hands. "I have repaired the ship, as you asked, but we should make a landing in a world with proper facilities, so we can repair to the fullest extent."

"Thanks, Sal." He muttered, taking a seat in the pilot's chair. "Set course for _Serenity_."

The hologram, Sal, saluted and disappeared as the ship blasted out of orbit, heading off into uncharted space.

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

Sora and Riku returned to the _Midnight_, Kairi still unconscious as Sora laid her in her bed. He then went into the 'hub' and set course to the nearest world. One with no name…

_A/N – Well, I hope I did the fight scenes well enough. ^^ They aren't on par with LaredoTornado or Shadows Horizon, but I hope that they have a certain flare to them. My flare! ^^_


	6. Arabian Knights

**Chapter 5 - Arabian Knights**

Kairi slowly opened her eyes. She looked around her, taking in the fact that she was now in her room. Sitting next to her was Sora, fast asleep. She smiled and rubbed his hand affectionately. He opened his eyes, roused from his much needed sleep. He smiled, then stood. "You alright, Kairi?"

She blinked slowly. "A little dizzy, but I'll be alright…"

Sora nodded, then exited the room. He had promised Kairi on Radiant Gardens that he would train her, but they just haven't had the time. And now Kairi was injured because of her inexperience in combat. Sora held his head in frustration. He sighed as Riku's voice came over the intercom. "Hey, Sora! We're comin' up on a world!"

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

As they came up on the next world, Agrabah, Sora smiled in anticipation of seeing his old friend, Aladdin. He remembered his first visit, when he help Al get rid of Jafar, trapping him in his lamp, then defeating the Kurt Zisa. He reminisced about his second visit when they helped get Jafar's lamp from a merchant, then when they had to defeat Jafar after he destroyed the city. Sora sighed. Even though Genie rebuilt the city, it still had its effect on the people, especially Aladdin. _I wonder how they all are doing…_ Sora wondered, putting the ship into _Auto-Orbit._

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

They all beamed down onto the world, then slowly made their way to the palace. Riku had conjured a turban out of nowhere and was now haggling with a merchant for a certain item. Sora looked up at the towering palace when someone ran past him. "Sorry!" they yelled back.

Sora recognized the voice and ran after him. He was running after a man with a scepter of some kind. Sora ran into an alley and jumped from wall to wall until he got to the roof and ran along it. The man with the scepter ran around a corner and jumped onto a wall to climb over it. He completed the climb, laughing as he ran, only to bump into Sora. Sora smirked and beckoned for the scepter. The man chuckled, drawing a dagger. Sora frowned, summoning the Keyblade and disarming the man. The man ran off after dropping the scepter, and the one chasing him ran around the corner as Sora picked it up.

"Wow…long way to run for a stick, Al…" Sora said sarcastically, giving it to the ex-street rat.

"Sora!" He took the scepter, then hugged Sora.

Kairi ran around the corner, panting. Riku came up behind her and patted her back as she coughed. Sora gave them one of his goofy grins as Aladdin let him go. "It's good to see you, Sora!" Al said, clapping Sora on the back.

Sora grunted and stumbled. They all had a good laugh as they made their way back to the palace.

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

Slowly following them was a person in a black cloak. They brought their hand in front of them, summoning a Juggernaut, a group of Luna Bandits and a couple of Fortune Tellers. "Go, my pets…" said a man's voice, a Heartless Emblem on his palm, "Show them the true meaning of the word 'Pain'" And with that, the Heartless charged for the Palace.

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

Sora blushed as he got a hug from Jasmine. They got to the palace, and apparently just in time, for it was about a week before their wedding. After stammering their congratulations, Genie popped up out of nowhere and hugged the three of them. "Oh, I am so glad I was picked to be Al's best man, I- oh…" He looked at Sora. "Here's my replacement…" He flushed himself down a toilet as he descended into despair.

Sora scratched the back of his head, a confused look on his face. "Replacement…?"

Aladdin laughed, patting Genie on the back, turning him back to normal. "Sora…would you like to be the best man?"

Sora scratched the back of his head again, clearly surprised. "Ummm…"

Kairi screamed, for Jasmine had asked her to be her maid of honor. At that moment, a Genie on the wall blew into a trumpet. "Contacts at 11 o'clock!"

Immediately, hundreds of Genies appeared on the wall, all armed like WWII soldiers. Heartless by the dozen were attacking the Palace. Sora summoned _Fenrir _to his hand, jumping up onto the wall. Riku appeared next to him, _Way to Dawn_ in his hand. Kairi led Jasmine away as Aladdin ran up the stairs so he was on the wall, scimitar in his hand. Several dozen Shadows were charging the Palace, followed by Bandits and Fat Bandits. "That's it?" Aladdin asked, brandishing his scimitar, "I remember beating these guys up on your first visit, Sora."

Sora frowned. _This has to be Pete…only he could summon these weaker Heartless'… _Sora thought as the Heartless started scaling the outer wall. All the Genies were shouting, firing their rifles, complimenting each other. Riku kept casting dark spells, destroying a couple Heartless with every swing of _Way to Dawn_. Sora stood next to Al, a frown on his face as the first Heartless started overwhelming the wall. Sora destroyed one in a single strike, stabbing one behind him before continuing to kill those getting over the wall. Aladdin spun in a circle, killing the Heartless that had surrounded him. There were sudden wails as a new group of Heartless entered the square. Sora saw a Juggernaut at the front, leading Luna Bandits and Fortune Tellers. "Al! Look over there!" Sora yelled over the battle cries, directing Aladdin's attention to the new group.

They were slaughtering the other Heartless…

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

Pete grimaced as he saw his Heartless decimated by another group of Heartless. _Where did they come from?_ He wondered, using all his power to summon another Heartless. "Now…" He said, gesturing to the big black Heartless, "you can go and kill those other Heartless, and be sure to bring me the Keyblade brats heart!" The Heartless bowed, then rose to its shockingly 7 feet height, and charged at the other group of Heartless.

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

Sora saw the new Heartless ram into the Juggernaut, sending it flying into the palace wall. All the shadows swarmed the hole that was made. The Genies gasped. "Protect the hole!" said one as they all jumped off the wall, swarming the Juggernaut.

Sora dropped down, seeing a big black Heartless knock all the Genies aside, and squeeze the Juggernaut until it went _POP!_ Sora frowned and readied his Keyblade. The big Heartless knocked off a Bandit that had jumped on it, then turned to Sora. It beat its chest, charging Sora. _A Rammernaut?_ Sora thought, dodging its clumsy attack. He jumped on its back and slashed it several times before it knocked him off. He got back up and charged it, and it countered by slamming its fists into the ground. Sora jumped up to dodge it and landed on its arm, then ran up it to attack it. The Rammernaut shrugged him off and pinned him to the ground. Its arm turned into a spear as it readied it for a fatal blow. Sora's vision was going dark, but he wouldn't let it beat him so easily.

He activated one of his Drives, making the Rammernaut stumble away from the ensuing light. Sora emerged, his clothes no longer black, but Blue. _Wisdom…_Sora floated off the ground and flew high into the air. He kept dashing around, firing off magical bursts, and wearing the big Heartless down. He finally came above it and started spinning in place really fast. Sora smiled as his mind thought up this move. _Spark Rain…_ He fired off thousands of magic orbs at once, all of them different elements, but all of the same design. The rained down upon the Heartless in the square, killing them all. Several orbs came to Al and Riku…and a couple unconscious Genies, all of which were healed.

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

Pete stomped his feet, enraged at this development. "When'd he learn that? Doh!" He called up a portal to take him off the world. _I'll get your heart yet, Keyblade Brat!_ He thought bitterly, stepping into the portal.

_ZZ _At the same time…_ ZZ_

A person in a black cloak, the same man who summoned the Juggernaut, grunted as his creation was destroyed by the Rammernaut. He frowned underneath his hood, his yellow eyes visible underneath the rim. _Well…You win this time, Pete. And you may live for a little while longer, Sora…_ he thought, conjuring a Corridor of Darkness, _but I will take Kairi, and the Beginning of the End will happen…even if I have to die to make it happen…_ And with that, he stepped into the portal.

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

Sora went down to the area where the Jafar's Lamp was sealed away. He sighed as he remembered all that had happened before the lamp was sealed away. He frowned. _What's that glowing…?_ He thought, getting closer to investigate. He came to the side of the pedestal, were on it was Jafar's Lamp. He saw a tiny Keyhole, no bigger than his pinky. He smiled, pulling out _The Kingdom Key_. But he hesitated. _What If, in doing this, I bring Jafar back to try and rule Agrabah again?_ He thought, lowering his Keyblade. He frowned, then got an idea. He put away his Keyblade, and summoned another one from deep in his mind, one he had never used. One he had found shortly after he got back to the Islands, in the Secret Place.

…

_Sora walked into the Secret Place, obviously being too tall now. He looked at all the pictures he and his friends drew, saving his favorite for last. He noticed that in the last two years, Kairi had added to it. Before he left the Islands, he had added to his picture of himself and Kairi, making himself give Kairi a Paupu Fruit. Now, the picture had been added to, so that Kairi was giving him one in return. He smiled, and turned to leave, but noticed a glinting in the corner, near the Door to the Heart of Destiny Islands. He went to investigate, and found a keychain. It was shaped like a Heartless symbol, but only half, as the other half was taken up by a Nobody symbol. A light shined from the keychain, blinding Sora. When it faded, Sora held a Keyblade in his hand. It reminded him of Oblivion, only it was more zig-zaggy, and had a serrated edge. __**Half-Hearted**__ went through Sora's mind. He sent it away, into the back of his mind. It was a dark Keyblade, and he didn't want to use it._

…

Sora held that same Keyblade in his hand now. _Half-Hearted…_ Sora thought, examining the Keychain. _Appropriate name…_ Sora held up the Keyblade, and locked the Heart of the World. He dismissed _Half-Hearted_, smiling. _If it works like I think it does, then it locked the world without breaking the seal…_ He thought, walking out of the room.

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

Kyle appeared at his seat at a round table. "Sorry I'm late…the old man was harder to kill than I thought."

Matt looked over at him, reading him. The person on Matt's other side shrugged. "As long as it is done."

"I think Kyle didn't kill him…" said a man two seats down on Kyle's other side.

"What makes you say that?" said a woman 4 seats down from him.

"Because the geezer's star still shines," said the man two seats down from Kyle, "He used to be a Keyblade Master, you know. He still has a star up there."

"That being said..." Matt started, then noticed that the seat 4 seats down from Kyle was empty. "Wait…where's Ed?"

Kyle stood up and went to his seat. All these chairs had a life-reader on the headrest. If his heart was still beating, it would show here. All Kyle saw was a straight, green line. "Dead, by the looks of it…" Kyle said, sitting back down.

All the members started getting anxious. The person one seat down from Kyle slammed their fist into the table. "Who could've done this? I will end them! They will pay for destroying one of our number." Said a woman's voice.

"Easy, Tesla. Wouldn't want anyone who might be listening in to know our plans now…" said a man's voice one seat down from the empty seat.

"Dani's right! This position has probably been compromised…" said the person on Matt's other side, "We must move our meeting place. The World That Never Was is no longer safe, what with those who may be listening, as well as Maleficent mobilizing the Heartless." They looked at Matt. "Speaking of which, Matt…has Maleficent decided whether or not she is going to join us?"

Matt frowned. "Her answer was no. I almost got my butt fried on my way out. Damn, that witch is too powerful."

Kyle remained silent for the rest of the meeting. _I've got to report to Mickey…_

_A/N – Well…what do you think. Every member gets at least three worlds/chapters. (Except for Ed, who died in chapter 4…he will be missed.) Thank you for reading. ^^ reviews are accepted and sorely needed._

_P.S. – That move that Sora did during his Wisdom Drive was something I had on my mind. However, if Square Enix was going to use something like that, I am sorry, and I put a disclaimer here._

_Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, Square Enix, Disney or any of its characters, Final Fantasy VII, VIII or X, and finally, I do not own any attacks used during Sora's Drives until further notice._

_No reviews for the last chapter?! You guys aren't nice. T.T *Kairi pats Kyle on the back*_


	7. The Big Secret

**Chapter 6 – The Big Secret**

"Okay…" said Leon, pointing at a hologram of The World that Never Was, "Maleficent's forces are here…here and here." Pointing at different locations on the world, they lit up in accordance.

As this conversation between Leon and the other high-ranking officers in the meeting continued, two people sat outside with their ears pressed up against the door. A third sat on the ground, sleeping rather soundly.

"Can you hear anything, Selphie?" asked the boy.

"No…" Selphie answered, sitting on her bottom with a depressed frown. A shadow came over her. She looked up at a male teen with black hair and yellow eyes.

He smiled, helped her back on her feet, and knocked on the door. "Enter." Came Leon's voice from the other side. The teen smiled at the two kids. "Come with me…"

He opened the door, Selphie walking in after him. Tidus was frantically trying to wake up Wakka. He woke up, then was dragged in by Tidus. The teen nodded at Leon and smiled at the anamorphic mouse at the head of the table. He bowed low. "Your Majesty…"

"Kyle?!" said the mouse, hopping onto his feet from the high chair and gave the tall teen a hug. "What are you doing here? Aren't you afraid you will be seen?"

The teen, Kyle, thought back to his last meeting with _The Darkness_…

_Kyle threw his chair back as he stood up. "There's a spy among us?"_

_The man at the head of the table nodded. "Yes…multiple spies…and one was already eliminated, apparently…"_

_Tesla frowned. "You mean…"_

_Matt nodded. "Edric…was a spy sent by Maleficent to find our true plans…he was just too stupid to keep up his charade, wasn't he…" He looked at Kyle, "Kyle?"_

_Kyle looked away and nodded. A man at the other end of the table stood up. "What about his report? He said before he went to fight Sora in the Twilight Realm that he had both the Keyblade Princess and the future Chain-Maker! Why would he let off his so called 'charade' there, when he had to keep it up.?"_

_Dani fixed his glasses. "Because he was going to give them to Maleficent. We all know that only Kairi can work as a worthy sacrifice for the Beginning of the End. It can't be anyone else!"_

_Kyle frowned, sitting back in his now upright chair, obviously calm. He had a dagger to his neck seconds later. A man in a black cloak and a mask covering his face held the dagger. "What about this fool?"_

_Matt looked at Kyle in alarm. "What do you mean, Nova?"_

_The man, Nova, looked at Matt, then said, "Takes one to know one…how do we know that Ed saw that Kyle was a spy and Kyle had to kill him to keep quiet…?"_

_Kyle frowned. "Please…me? A spy? You're kidding! I couldn't pull it off! You know how bad an actor I-!"_

_Nova pressed the dagger deeper into Kyle's neck, making the slightest of slits, making blood leak from his now open wound. "Silence dog!"_

_He looked up at the head man. "Know any anamorphic mice?"_

_The man raised an eyebrow, then his eyes widened. He drew his _Scrim Slaughter_ and tried to decapitate Kyle. Kyle kicked Nova and ducked the man's attack. He then disappeared into a portal of Darkness. The man roared, looking at every single member. "Anyone who sees the thing known as Kyle Alan Stridehart, you are to kill him on sight!"_

Kyle frowned. "I was found out by the number 10…Noevah…which is pronounced Nova…"

Mickey frowned, then took his seat again. "So…you are now truly on our side…"

Kyle nodded, then looked back at the three…younger teens behind him. "So are they, little troublemakers…found them trying to listen in on your conversation in here!"

Tidus frowned, ready to draw his newly issued sword. Selphie brought out her nun-chucks, and Wakka…took a couple steps back. Kyle smiled, then whispered, "There's a Silence spell on the door, so not a word escapes…"

They all groaned, and sat on their bums. Tidus frowned, irritated. Kyle smiled, then summoned a chair, one with a big roman numeral 3 on the head rest. "So…I'm here with an update…they plan to end the universe…with Kairi as the first to die."

Kyle pulled up the file on his old organization members, and filled in every spot. Except for the number one spot. "I only know the boss' name and weapon, but not his powers. I filled in Matt's file, and my file. I also edited Ed's file, but he's dead, so we won't be seeing him."

He continued filling spaces in, making comments like "Oh, he's powerful…", "She's really dangerous…"

When he was done, almost every space was filled. He smiled, then grew serious as he started opening individual files. "Alright…I think that these people are spies, whether for us or Maleficent, or a third party, I don't know…"

They all looked at the files he opened, and some of them gaped. "You have got to be kidding me!" said Tidus, gaping in awe.

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

Sora smiled as they came up on their next world, the world of Port Royal. _Wonder how Jack is doing…_ Sora thought as he left the bridge. He suddenly heard grunting coming from the simulator. He entered the room with a curious look on his face and found Kairi, practicing her swordplay. He smiled and crept up behind her. She had a helmet on, so she couldn't see him. He summoned his Keyblade and put a helmet on. He was immediately transported to a rocky mountain, a blizzard raging as Kairi cut down Heartless after Heartless after Nobody. He smiled and drew up his Keyblade to block an attack she used on him. She seemed surprised that he was there, as he kicked her. "You shouldn't get so easily distracted…" He told her as she got up, holding her gut and coughing.

She glared at him. "It's not nice to creep up on someone…"

Sora shrugged. "You got to be ready for anything; even fighting you ally, if you have to."

Kairi frowned. She got up, and readied her Keyblade. Sora smiled and leveled his at her. She tensed and rushed him. He blocked all of her attacks like they were nothing. "C'mon, you need to loosen up! Don't be so tense…" He said, before parrying her attack and bringing his Keyblade to her neck, "Or you'll leave an opening…"

Kairi jumped back, leveling her Keyblade at him. He loosened up and put himself in an offensive stance. Kairi loosened her muscles, only slightly. She rushed Sora, and this time, she feinted several times, where Sora could only get a quick block. Sora frowned, then got disarmed. Kairi leveled her Keyblade at his head as she caught his in her other hand. She smiled, handing him his Keyblade. He rubbed his neck. "Not bad…but luck and beginners skill won't help you on this world…this world is…slightly more dark than most of the other worlds."

Kairi nodded, then took of the helmet. Sora took his off too, putting his Keyblade away. "I'm gonna teach you a little bit about combat with a Keyblade, but right now, we have to go down to the world."

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

Kyle flew his ship in toward the _Midnight_. He cloaked his ship, remembering Mickey's orders…

"_So…what are we going to do?" asked Valentine, leaning back in his chair._

_Leon look at Aerith and nodded. Aerith passed out papers to everyone except Kyle, the three younger teens, and King Mickey. "This is what we're going to do…"_

**ZZZ**

_Kyle caught up with Mickey. "So…what am I gonna do now? I can't go back to __**The Darkness**__, they got a bounty on my head."_

_Mickey nodded, then gestured to Kyle's ship. "Take the __**Selvana**__, and find Sora and his friends…" He said, handing Kyle another key-chain. Kyle's eyes widened as he looked up from the chain. Mickey continued, "I want you to help them stop this…by whatever means necessary, in Master Yen Sid's words."_

_Kyle nodded. "And this?" He asked, holding up the keychain that looked like a cog cut in half and moved slightly to form an 'S'._

_Mickey frowned, then looked up at the night sky. "THAT…is for Sora…"_

_A/N – So…what do you people think? I know it's a bit shorter than my other chapters, but a put as much depth as I could between the times of 9 pm and 1:30 am. DX I'm so tired!_

_Disclaimer: I do not own Square Enix, Disney, Kingdom Hearts, anything having to do with Kingdom Hearts, and the recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies._

_I do own almost every single OC in this story, as well as the story idea. I do not if Square Enix is putting it in Kingdom Hearts: Dream Drop Distance, or 3D_


	8. A Dead Man's Chest

**Chapter 7 – Condemned Men…**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Kingdom Hearts, Final Fantasy or POC…just my OC's and the story. Sorry for the inconvenience…_

As Sora, Riku and Kairi beamed down onto the world, they all took a second for their bodies to shiver before setting out. It was raining, and they were soon drenched. Soldiers were running around all over the place. Sora wondered what was going on when he saw a women run after a group of soldiers going toward the mansion.

"Elizabeth?" Sora asked himself, running after her.

Kairi ran after him, Riku a short ways behind her. They came to a rather…grand mansion with a large group of men out front. There appeared to be an argument ensuing. Sora ran up, pushing his way through the soldiers, getting to the front. He saw a man in a rather formal outfit getting his hands clapped in irons. The governor was distraught, for his daughter was in irons as well. "How dare you? Lower your arms, now! I demand the name of who authorized this!"

"That would be me, Governor Swan…" said a man in a fancy coat. He had a hat on, which he took off as he came under the balcony.

"Beckett? Cutler Beckett?" asked the Governor, skeptical.

"It's Lord Beckett, now…actually…" The man, Beckett, corrected him, pulling out sheets of paper from his coat.

"Will…what's going on?" Sora asked, trying to push past the soldiers.

Will shrugged, then noticed who it was. "…Sora? Is that you?"

"This is Sora? Clap him in irons as well; I got a warrant for his arrest as well. As well as a 'Goofy', 'Donald' and a 'James Norrington'." ordered Becket, brandishing the sheets of paper.

"For what?!" asked Sora as he was clapped in irons.

The Governor answered, "For aiding and abetting a man convicted of piracy, condemned to death. For which…" He stopped there, speechless.

"For which the sentence, unfortunately, is also death…" completed Beckett.

They all paled. Beckett smiled. "Do you remember a 'Jack Sparrow'?"

He got a shout in his face for his troubles. "CAPTAIN!"

They all grew skeptical. "…Captain Jack Sparrow…" Elizabeth corrected.

Beckett chuckled. "Captain Jack Sparrow…" He echoed.

Sora frowned at this news. _What am I gonna do now?! _He thought to himself. Then he got an idea. Sora whistled, shrilly. _I hope Riku get's it…_ He thought, whistling again.

ZZZ

Riku heard a shrill whistle coming from the mansion. He looked at Kairi. "Stay here…" He told her, then ran for the mansion.

Kairi frowned, crossing her arms in a huff. _Boys…_ She thought angrily, but stepped back into the shadows.

ZZZ

Sora groaned as he saw Riku through the crowd of soldiers. He thought up of something. "It seems my travels have caught up with me…" He said vaguely, smiling at the soldier holding him.

He got bashed in the head, immediately knocked unconscious. Riku frowned, then attacked.

ZZZ

"The whistle was supposed to warn you to stay away…" Sora said sullenly to his friend across from him.

They were locked in the jail-house, all frowning at themselves. A soldier came in. The guards saluted and they began a deep conversation. The guards nodded and took Will and Sora out of their cages, clapping them in irons. Sora shrugged. "…seems like we're first…" Sora said sadly as he was lead away with Will.

Riku frowned, then drew his Keyblade. He waggled it at the guards. "Look at me…" he said sarcastically, tapping the door. It swung open, as if it wasn't even locked.

ZZZ

5 minutes later, Riku was in a wooden box, nailed shut, with a slit at the top to see through and a rectangle sized hole in the side for food. "Goddamn retarded…" He said to himself.

Meanwhile…

Sora and Will were lead into a rather fancy office, and at the desk stood the same man who arrested them. Cutler Beckett. Sora frowned. Beckett looked over. "Oh, those won't be needed, Mercer…" He told the soldier who was at the door as he took a drink out of the goblet he was holding.

Sora frowned again as he rubbed his wrists, looking at Will. He frowned as Beckett began to speak. "The East India Trading Company has need of your services, Mr. Turner…" He looked at Sora, "And yours as well, Mister…Arashi, is it?"

Sora frowned. _I never give my last name out to others… _he thought, glaring at the man. He continued. "We wish for you to act as our agents in a business transaction with our mutual friend Captain Sparrow."

Will's frown deepened. "More acquaintance than friend…" He inputted, "How do you know him?"

Beckett looked…reminiscent as he pulled a metal rod from the fireplace. "We've had our dealings in the past…" He explained, holding up the rod for Will and Sora to see. It had a reverse 'P' on the end, as if it was used to brand someone with. "And we've left our mark on the other…"

"What mark did he leave on you?" Will asked, a smug look on his face.

Beckett ignored him. "By your efforts…" he began, sliding the bar back into the fire, "Jack Sparrow was set free. I would like you to go to him and recover a certain property in his possession."

Sora frowned. "Recover…" he echoed.

"At the point of a sword?" asked Will as Beckett took another draught out of his goblet.

"Yea…Jack isn't the type of a guy to give up something that belongs to him…" Sora said, looking thoughtful.

Beckett put his glass on the table. "Bargain…" He put simply, walking over to his desk and picking up small, leather bound set of papers for the two to see. "Letters of Marque…you will offer what amounts to a full pardon. Jack will be free…a privateer England…"

Will chuckled, "I don't think Jack will consider employment the same as being free…"

Beckett scoffed, "Freedom…" He placed the 'Letters of Marque' back on the table and walked out onto the balcony. Ships were pulling in and out, soldiers marching along the docks and in the city. "Jack Sparrow is a dying breed…The world is shrinking, the edges of the map filled in. Jack must find his place in the world or perish…Unlike yourselves…"

He turned to Will, "Your fiancé faces the hangman's noose…"

Will grimaced. Sora stepped forward. "So…you get Jack…and _The Pearl_?"

Beckett looked puzzled. "_The Black Pearl?"_

"The property you want that he possesses…" Will said, looking up at Beckett.

Beckett chuckled, before saying, "A ship? Hardly…the item in question is considerably smaller and more valuable…something Jack Sparrow keeps on his person at ALL times' He glanced at them, saying, '…a compass?"

Sora and Will looked at each other at the mention of the compass. _What would he want with a broken compass?_ Sora thought, looking back at Beckett. He saw their faces and smiled. "Ah, you know it. Bring back that compass…or there's no deal."

Sora grimaced. He looked at Will and nodded. Will clapped Sora on the back. Beckett smile grew larger. "In one hour, a ship will depart from the harbor to a destination of your choosing…" He said as he poured himself a glass of some amber liquid.

"After that…"After that…_you're on your own_."

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

Kairi fell to the ground, utterly exhausted. After Riku left, she had been attacked by soldiers in red and several small groups of Heartless. She was surrounded by Nobodies at the time. _I...can't fight anymore…_ She thought, trying to get up. One of the Nobodies, a Dusk, lunged forward to attack. It never made it.

A person in a black cloak stood over her, a black sword in their hand. "Get lost…" said a male's voice.

The Nobodies disappeared, one after another. Kairi sighed with relief. The man offered his hand. She took it and allowed him to help her up. "Thank you…" Kairi said, smiling.

The man shrugged. A shout rang out in the distance. The man looked over his shoulder as soldiers came around the corner, aiming their rifles as they prepared to fire. The man gasped, then jumped on top of Kairi, forcing her down. The soldiers fired, missing every shot. The man jumped up, Kairi in his arms. "Time to go!" he said, running for dear life.

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

Several hours after running, the man put Kairi down and slid down beside a wall. He was panting. Kairi knelt down next to him. "You've saved me twice now…" she said, thoughtful.

The man nodded. "I guess…I did…" He panted, getting up. "We need to go…"

There was more shouting in the distance. Kairi nodded, then stopped the man before he moved. "At least tell me your name before they find us again…"

The man chuckled, taking off his hood. He had black, tidy hair, a young looking face and stark yellow eyes. "The name's Kyle…now let's go!"

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

Sora frowned as he saw Port Royal shrink in the distance. "Tortuga?" he asked Will, who had come back from the helmsman.

Will nodded. "It's the best place to start…"

Sora nodded. "Right…I just hope Kairi's alright…"

_**XXXXX**__-Speaking of Kairi-__**XXXXX**_

Kairi watched as a ship shrunk from existence as it sailed further and further away. "Are you sure Sora's on that boat?" She asked, looking at Kyle as he put on a jacket.

Kyle nodded, now cloak-less. He wore a black t-shirt with no left sleeve, and dark grey cargo pants. He wore a jacket over his shirt, but this he had put on after Kairi saw the sleeveless shirt. He walked over to her, handing her a jacket. "We better get goin' …if we're to catch up to them…"

Kairi nodded, then looked back at the ship that Sora was supposedly on. _I'm coming…Sora!_ She thought as Kyle led her to a ship in the harbor.

_A/N – Well? What do you think? I tried to keep the scene where Beckett gave Sora and Will the ultimatum as close to the original scene as possible. And finally! XD My OC is finally officially introduced into the story. ^^ Reviews are appreciated, and sorely needed. Thank you!_

_Sorry to those who reviewed the last chapter, I will reply to them on this one. DX_

_DaniPotterLovesGod – Well, as it said in chapter 7, Ed and Kyle are spies for other parties. Keep deducing the facts, Dani. Who knows? Maybe you'll get to the end before I post it! XD_

_Bearybeary – Yea…Genie does rock. I am sorry that Agrabah only lasted one chapter, but I had major writers block, as well as not having much happen…until later chapters._

_Bearybeary (again) – What do you think, man? (Note, look at my flipping name!) X)_


	9. Cannibis

**Chapter 8 – Cannabis**

_Disclaimer: You know the drill ._

Will grunted as he fell to the ground, spitting out some blood. Sora cursed as the pirate they had been talking to spat on Will. 'Give my regards to Sparrow!' The pirate growled before walking off, grumbling about doubloons. Will held his jaw as Sora came over and helped him up.

'Well…that didn't go how I had hoped…' Will muttered, spitting out some more blood while Sora healed him. 'What do you expect?' the Keyblader asked, looking around, 'I didn't know Jack was this…infamous until now…' He frowned, examining the street around them.

'Well…off to the next pirate…' Will said, walking off toward the docks. Sora followed him, keeping his eyes open for people in black robes.

_**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**_

Sora held his cheek as a woman walked away from him, obviously in a huff. He grunted as his face turned red from the slap. 'Jeez…sorry…' He muttered, brushing himself off. He looked at Will, who was deep in conversation with a man on the docks.

Sora walked up to the two as Will smiled. 'So you've seen the _Pearl_?' Will asked. The man shook his head. 'I don't know about Jack or the Pearl…but I saw a ship ashore on an Island that I do business on…a ship…with black sails…'

'Can you get us there?' Sora asked, frowning. '…I can't…but my brother works for a shipping company…I'm sure he can give you a lift…' The man replied, waving his hand toward a ship on the opposite end on the docks.

They nodded their thanks and started off toward the ship. 'Well about time we got a lead…' Will gasped; exasperated by the amount of time it took them to find this lead.

Sora just shrugged. '_As long as we find him…_' Sora thought, looking up at the sky.

A figure in a black robe followed them discreetly, hiding behind objects as it made its way forward. It made no sound as it walked, watching Sora and Will barter their way onto a ship heading in the direction of the _Pearl_. The figure, upon seeing that they were leaving, disappeared into a corridor of darkness, tendrils of darkness licking the hem of the cloak as they walked through the threshold.

_**XXXXXXXXXXXXX**_

Riku sighed in his box as he tapped his finger on the side of the box, his finger sticking out of the hole that they used to serve him food. Elizabeth sat on the far side of her cell so that the men in the cell next to her didn't touch her. They heard shouting coming from the stairwell, followed by a man's voice saying 'Enough! I am still a man of station!'

The Governor quickly descended the stairs and walked over to Elizabeth's cell. He unlocked it and opened it, frowning. 'Come…we don't have much time…' He murmured.

Riku banged on his box. 'Uh, hello? Can I get some help, too?' He shouted, his box jostling so much that it fell to its side.

The Governor frowned indignantly, but he got the guards attention.

XXX

Elizabeth was in a bad mood after discovering that her father wasn't putting his faith in Will and Jack. He was sending her to England, where she would be safe. Riku sat on the other side of the carriage, frowning. The carriage came to an abrupt stop.

Governor Swan got off his carriage and walked onto the dock toward a man at the end. 'Captain?' He asked before the man fell over. Mercer stood there, wiping blood off the knife he had used.

'Hello there…' He greeted the man of the state. He gestured to the Captain. 'Shame that…' He pulled out an envelope. 'He had these in his jacket…they're from you…'

Governor Swan couldn't believe what he was seeing, taking steps back before going to the carriage. But he was too late. Soldiers had come and surrounded the carriage, a couple coming to restrain him. 'What are you doing?!' He yelled as Mercer came and opened the door to the small cab.

'…Where are they?!' Mercer asked the governor.

XXX

'I didn't think you would be one to…sneak off…' Riku mumbled as he followed Elizabeth.

She only nodded before looking up at the docks. She didn't know what to do. She knew she was going to Tortuga, but she didn't know what ship she should take. She muttered to herself as Riku came to a crouch next to her. '…So…what's the plan?' He asked.

'…We have to get to Tortuga…' She answered, frowning. Riku's hand came over her shoulder as he pointed.

'Then we should just pick a ship…' He replied, his finger pointing at a merchant ship.

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

A hooded figure stepped out of a Corridor of Darkness, walking down the docks of Tortuga. They stopped in front of a man, who looked up from what he was doing. The figure grabbed his throat, lifting him up. 'A boy with spiky brown hair came to you, asking something…where did he go?' asked a female voice.

The man gasped as he tried to breath before replying. 'He…went to…find…Jack…Sparrow…' He answered through gasps.

The woman dropped him to the docks, his voice coming up to her in coughs as she smiled under her hood. '…Jack Sparrow…now I know who to find…' She muttered before walking off the docks. She disappeared into a Corridor of Darkness.

Only one person saw her. It was another figure in a black robe, which also disappeared into a Corridor of Darkness after she left.

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

'Now, as I was saying…' said a shadowed figure five seats down from where Kyle used to sit, who was explaining something to the number V.

A corridor of darkness opened, revealing a shadowed woman. 'Sorry I'm late, Number I…I was collecting Intel…' She said as she took her seat.

'That is quite alright, Tesla…' A deep male's voice sounded from the seat next to Matt's.

The blond appeared in a flurry of dark tendrils, bowed to his superior next to him, and then took his seat. One by one, each member of the Darkness appeared and took their seats, each so immensely darkness, but all of them sharing one bond.

'Now…down to business…' Number I murmured as the table started reflecting light, creating an image.

Kairi appeared on the table for all the members to look at. 'We must finalize our plan in capturing the Princess of Heart…' Number I's head turned to Matt. '…Did you convince him, Matt?'

'No…in fact, he was so opposed by the idea, he almost had my head carved off by his first mate…' Matt replied, receiving a chuckle from a couple of members.

Number I's head tilted downward. '…That's…too bad…' He muttered, looking to the Number IV. '…He would've been a valuable ally...Number IV!'

Tesla stood. 'Sadly, the only Intel I could gather is that Sora searches for a man named Jack Sparrow…who is, in fact, an enemy of…' After a look from Matt, Tesla changed what she was going to say. 'Our friend…'

'And that's all the Intel we need…we already know that Kairi is not in the company of the Chosen One…' A young girl's voice replied from next to the empty seat of Number VII. 'We should take her now!'

'Patience, my child…' Said a seductive female's voice from Number I's other side. 'She is in the company of Kyle Stridehart…as long as she is with someone, be they man, beast or Halfling…We are at risk of playing our cards too early…'

'According to my calculations…' A young man's voice put in from next to woman. 'If we try to take her now, one of us will surely die, although the higher the number, the less of a chance we are of fading into the darkness…'

Number I's head leaned back, as if thinking. '…We will put capturing Kairi on hold, for now…however…our 'friend' rejecting us is a setback…' He looked up. '…If he will not join us…then we must kill him…The _Flying Dutchman_ **will** be mine…'

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

The _Black Pearl_ sat moored on an island. Sora's sea blue eyes watched it from the ship that was passing by, a determined look on his face. '_I'll get back to you, Kairi…I promise…_' He thought as a group of men started lowering a rowboat.

Will started descending the ladder until he saw that Sora wasn't moving. 'Sora! Are you coming?'

The Keyblader blinked and shook himself from his thoughts before walking over to the ladder and flying down it, coming into a sitting position on the boat. Will nodded and sat down as well, the man that was coming with them rowing the boat away from the ship. He yelled at the ship hands in a different language, who all shouted back and dropped anchor.

ZZZ

As they were coming up to the beach, the man stopped rowing and said something to Sora in a different language. Will frowned and looked at the beach. '…Can't you take us all the way?' He asked.

The man shook his head and replied in his native tongue, pointing at the two of them, then the island, then back at his ship. Will nodded, rolling up his sleeves. 'Thank you…'

'Good luck…' The man replied in perfect English.

Sora fingered his hair before sighing and standing up, rolling up his sleeves as well. He and Will then dived into the water, making a break for the island. The man in the boat started rowing back to the ship, but not before something large and dark-colored swam beneath his rowboat. He yelped, looking down, only to see the ocean floor. He shrugged and continued rowing as the large creature kept swimming toward the island.

XXX

Will and Sora stumbled onto the beach, gasping for breath as they looked up at the massive _Pearl_. Will cupped his hands around his mouth. '…JACK!' He yelled, making Sora yelp and start, who had been squeezing the water out of his hair.

'Jeez…no need to y-' Sora started to say before Will shouted again, trying to get the crew's attention.

Sora started to say something else before hearing a parrot caw. He looked behind him at the tree line to see a parrot. '…Mr. Cotton's Parrot…?' Sora asked as he walked up to the parrot

Will looked over to see Sora examining the parrot. He quickly came over, smiling and greeting the bird. 'Well, Cotton's Parrot…I suppose not all is lost then…'

'Rah! Don't eat me…' Replied the parrot, stretching its wings out in an attempt to scare them, or so they thought.

Sora raised an eyebrow before saying, '…We're…not gonna eat you…' 'Rah! Don't eat me…Don't eat me, rah!'

Sora and Will looked at each other before walking further into the forest, Cotton's Parrot crowing pleas to not eat him. Sora kept his eyes open, frowning as he examined his surroundings. 'Sora!'

He turned around so fast, he almost fell over. Will was beckoning the Keyblader over to him, so he swiftly complied. Will held up a small leather flask. 'Mr. Gibbs…' Sora murmured, and Will nodded.

Sora took the flask out of Will's hands and examined it before finding a string tied to it. '…What the…?' He muttered before slowly following the trail of string. Will slowly drew his sword, being wary as Sora followed the lead.

It stopped at a bush, the string draped over a leaf. Sora frowned, plucking the end of the string from the plant. Will was looking around before frowning. He didn't have a good feeling, so he took a step back. He looked down and saw an 'x' on the ground. '…Damn!' He yelled before something caught his leg and dragged him into the air. He almost dropped his sword, but managed to keep a hold on it.

Sora turned to see Will dangling from a tree and started running over to help, but then fell over, knocked out. A dart stuck out of his neck at an angle that told Will that the person who shot it fired from behind. Will looked behind Sora to see a man in a loin cloth, who yelled. Dozens of them flooded from the forest, all of them wielding spears. Will waved his sword around to keep them back, trying to seem courageous. The natives just looked at each other before one of them shot him in the neck with a dart. Will went limp, blacking out.

ZZZ

Sora's eyes opened a minute after he fell unconscious, but his eyes were yellow and his hair appeared to have been dyed black. He slowly got up, to the natives surprise. He held out his hand, light coalescing in his palm before 3 darts in quick succession hit him square in the back. Sora's now stark yellow eyes rolled into the back of his head and he dropped like a sack of potatoes, his arms and legs twitching every so often. The Natives tied them each to a separate bamboo beam and started carrying them deeper into the forest.

ZZZ

Will opened his eyes to find himself being carried. He looked around him, seeing natives everywhere, before seeing Sora tied up like him on a separate beam, only his hair was dyed black. '_What is going on?_' He thought as they carried him into a…what can only be described as a 'Town Square'.

And on throne, perched close to a cliff, was none other than Captain Jack Sparrow. Will raised an eyebrow as his eyes widened. 'Jack!' He exclaimed as Jack stepped from his throne toward his two companions.

He poked Will in the ribs as Will said, 'I'm so glad to see you! Elizabeth is in jail, and I'm condemned, only because we helped you escape!'

Jack blinked only once before turning to the man who had led the other natives. He spoke in a gnarly language, and the man responded. Jack looked back down at Will and started to walk away. 'Jack, you're the only one who can help us! All I want is your compass, or Elizabeth dies!' Jack stopped and looked back at Will. 'She faces the Gallows!'

Jack seemed to ponder it for a moment before turning to the man and saying something to him, slowly walking so he was standing next to Will. The man repeated what Jack said, much to the other native's pleasure.

Then Jack did the one thing that Will wasn't expecting. He leaned down, looked Will in the eye and whispered, 'Save me!' before standing straight and walking over to his throne to take a seat.

ZZZ

Will banged against the wooden bars of his spherical prison, which hung a good half a mile in the middle of a crevice. Mr. Gibbs sighed, leaning against the sphere. 'How tough are these things?!' Sora asked, who was now awake and his hair back to normal.

'Take a guess…but know that these weren't built until AFTER we got here…' Mr. Gibbs replied.

Will frowned and looked at Mr. Gibbs. 'Who are these people and how come Jack seems to be in charge?'

Mr. Gibbs took in a breath sharply and nodded, smiling. '…These are a group of people I can only describe as a tribe named Cannabis, and they believe that Jack is their patron god in human form…'

Sora frowned. '…Looks like they were celebrating…' He mumbled, drums starting to beat in the background.

'Ah, but they are doing anything but…' Mr. Gibbs replied. '…They intend to release Jack from his fleshy prison…when those drums stop, then Jack ceases to be…'

Will frowned and then smiled, getting an idea. 'Alright, c'mon…we're getting out of here…' He stated as if it was a fact and started leaning back and forth in the prison.

Everyone in the prison looked at each other, then shrugged and started copying him. Soon their prison started swinging back and forth in the canyon, slowly getting closer to the wall. Pirates in a prison much like their own started copying them until both groups had gotten a hand hold on the wall. 'Climb you fools, climb!' Yelled Mr. Gibbs before everyone started climbing the vines.

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

Kyle kept a protective hold on Kairi as they walked slowly through the bustling pirate town of Tortuga. It was difficult to keep an eye on every single pirate that walked past. Some sneaked up behind them, only to be swatted away by Kairi. Kyle scared off the rest with his jet-black sword. Kyle watched Kairi's back as she asked the women they come across if they had seen a spiky, brown haired boy. Sora stood out, so of course he was seen. The directions they got from the women, including one that was in a bad mood for some reason, led them BACK to the docks.

'So…we just went around in a circle?!' Kairi asked, slumping when they had got out of the slum filled town and onto the relatively clean docks.

Kyle shrugged, looking around. He saw a man tying up some fish nets and walked up to him. 'Hey…have you seen a kid with spiky brown hair, about this tall and wearing weird clothes?' He asked the man, who looked up at the boy.

He seemed to think about it and nodded. 'Yes…I do believe I've seen him…he's looking for the _Pearl_, no?'

Kairi looked up, smiling. The man nodded again. 'I see…well, he has probably found it by now, but I would recommend waiting here for him…'

Kyle raised an eyebrow. '…Why wait, when we can go get him…?'

'Because I don't think the young lass here would appreciate being eaten…' the fisherman replied calmly, trussing up his fish net. 'Cannabis Island is its name…and it's filled to the brim with a tribe called…the _Cannabis_…'

Kairi raised an eyebrow, not understanding, but Kyle nodded, frowning deeply. 'Well…that can't be good…' He muttered before nodding to the man, flipping a coin into his hand and walking over to Kairi. 'He'll end up here sooner or later…but if he's not here within the next two days, I'll go get him…'

_**XXXXXXXXXX**_

After figuring out that the _Pearl_ only needed a crew of 5 or 6, the two groups raced each other to the top. The group in the sphere closest to the bridge, filled with men in dark robes and turbans, were faster than the ragtag crew of the _Pearl_. Will looked up and paled, telling everyone to stop. 'Guard…'

A native was walking across the bridge, spear in hand. This was the third patrol to cross the bridge, and all the bustling movement of the ceremony was making everyone nervous. The other group started climbing again, although slowly. Will started waving at them to stop, and they just laughed and waved. Then the leader of the group grabbed a snake. The entire prison started freaking, and only a couple had the nerve to keep their handholds. But a couple wasn't enough. The vines ripped from the rock and started to fall. The native walking across the bridge, away from the village, noticed the screams and saw the falling prison. It snapped as it reached the end of its line, the line breaking, sending them down into the abyss. Mr. Gibbs looked away.

The native noticed that there was only one cage and looked around until it found them on the wall. '…Uh oh…' Sora mumbled as the native started running toward the village.

'START CLIMBING!' Will shouted, and everyone resumed their climb, having no more reasons to dawdle.

ZZZ

Jack sat on his throne, nibbling on the toes on his necklace as the natives built the fire he was to be cooked on. Then a native, the same one that saw Will and the crew climbing the wall, came in, shouting something in their language. Everyone froze then looked to Jack. Jack looked flustered then said, 'Well, what are you waiting for? Go get them!'

The village roared with approval as everyone gathered their weapons to go get the prisoners. Jack waited until their voices faded away before nodding. He took this chance to start getting away.

ZZZ

The crew, having reached the top, picked the cage up and ran with it as the natives started chasing them, throwing spears and shooting arrows and darts. Surprisingly, no one was hit. Then they hit a slope. Everyone tripped up and the cage started rolling down the hill, the natives close behind. Sora had enough sense to whip out his Keyblade and point it in the general direction of the natives. Waiting until the opportune moment, when he knew his keyblade was pointed in their direction, he casted his spell.

'**Stopga!**'

The entire group of natives froze in place, a tiny clock above the group, counting down the time they stood, frozen. The crew's victory was short lived as they rolled into a ravine with a river at the bottom. Their prison broke as they hit the water, and they started swimming. The natives had un-froze by now and chased them to the ravine, throwing their spears and shooting arrows. Everyone swam away, finding their way to the coast using the river.

Everyone dashed to the _Pearl_, which Ragetti and Pintel had already tried to steal. 'Ah, we knew you were going to come! We got it ready-' Pintel started.

'Good, our work is half done!' Mr. Gibbs said before ordering the crew to cast off.

'Wait, what about Jack?' Will asked, getting Gibbs' attention. 'I can't leave without him.'

'Will!' Hearing his name, Will turned to Sora, who was pointing. '…Look!'

Everyone looked to see Jack running around the corner of the forest, sprinting as fast as he could toward them. 'Ah, there he i-' Will started before the group of natives came around the corner as well, chasing their 'god'. 'Never mind, let's go!' Will said, jumping onto the rope ladder that hung off the side.

The _Pearl _was almost too far outbefore Jack reached it, and he hopped on before it did. The natives shouted at him, some crying, waving for him to come back.

'Give praise, my children, for this is the day that you almost-' Jack started, but he was interrupted by a wave smacking him in the face. '…Captain Jack Sparrow…'

_A/N – I apologize for the long wait on the chapter…due to personal problems, writer's block, time restrictions and the other odd things that occur in my life, I just never had time for this…  
>But…that's all over, now that the chapter is finished! *does a dance*<br>This chapter is actually longer than most, due to all the stuff that happened between Sora and Will leaving Port Royal and Jack escaping from Cannibal Island…  
><em> 

_Reviews are appreciated. Compliments already accepted in advance. And thanks are not needed, as you will probably be addicted by now. ^^_

_This is…by far…my longest chapter…EVER __ But, I suppose that'll make up for the (almost) year wait…at least… . I think it's a year…_

_REVIEWS!_

_DaniPotterLovesGod – Yes…Ed was a spy for Maleficent. It was said in chapter 6 or 7…can't remember right now._

_Bearybeary – Yea…isn't it fun to ALMOST get eaten?_


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